Street-car-switching system



' (No Model.) T. B. ESTEP.

STREET GAE SWITCHING SYSTEM.

E No.2 59,67.5.

Patented June 20, 1882.;

I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS B. ESTEP, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO HIRAM M. STEPHENSON, OF COVINGTON, KENTUCKY;

STREET'CARFSWITCHING SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 259,675, dated June 20, 1882,

' Application filed October 13, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS B. Es'rEP, of Cincinnati, county of Hamilton, and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful 1mprovement in Street-Car-Switching Systems is a plan of the road-bed, tracks, and guiderails. Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical section of the central guide-rail and roller of drop-lever, and Fig. 6 is a perspective of a permanent shoe attached to the drop-lever.

Similarletters of reference indicate like parts.

The nature of my invention relates to a system for switching street-cars, whereby the car can be moved to the right or the left on any diverging track at the, will of the operator without the use of any movable switch.

This invention relates to switches automatically operated by passing cars and it consists in the construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

The car has attached to its platform, or on other suitable parts, a drop -lever properly braced and pivoted near the car-bed. The loose end of said lever terminates below in a roller which revolves in a horizontal plane. The 1ever extends above the platform some-distance, where it ends in a suitable handle. A spring or weight is made use of to keep the roller,

when free to act, in aneleva'ted position. The drop-lever being lowered its roller comes in contact with the central guide-rail, forcing the car to the side predetermined by the curve of the guide-rail.

In construction my invention is as follows:

A is the front platform of a street-car resting on wheels. (Seen at'B B.)

C C is the main roadbed, on which is laid in the'usual way a straight track, D, one diverging therefrom to the right, (marked D,) and another diverging to theleft. (Marked D The point where one track leaves the other is in this case not provided with any movable switch, but has thehigher bearing-face of the straight rail cut through, so the flanges of the wheel may leave the straight rail and enter on the one diverging.

' E is the central guide-rail, securely bolted to timber E, which is interlocked with those bearing the rails by special cross-ties E all being embedded in the usual way. The guiderail has the upper portion, 6, curved in such manner as to coincide with the curve of diverging track D. The projecting flange e is concentric with e, as shown.

The bed-plate e and guide-rail E are both cast in one piece, the upper surface of theplate being suitably roughened to prevent horses from slipping, the plate having been made, of sufficient size to give it permanency and allow the drop-roller to slide on the plate before coming in contact with the guide-rail. I

The guide-rail seen at F is constructedlike the one above described, excepting that it is reversed in its curve and laid to run the car on tracks marked D.

The guide-rails have their two extremities well tapered, as shown in Fig. 4, in order that they may present less of an obstruction to passing vehicles. v The actuating mechanism, whichis all attached to the front end of the car, is constructed substantially as follows: Two journalbearings, G G, are strongly bolted to any permanent part of the car, well forward. The shaft H oscillates freely in said journal-bearings, and is preferably made of square iron, having the journals turned round, the shoulders thus formed bearing against G G preventing a lateral motion;

From a point near G G extend two converging rods, I, which are permanentlyattached to shaft H, and meeting at I form the drop lever 1 At the point where the rods join they make a downward turn, forming a vertical stud, i,which is turned to receive the roller J, which is formed somewhat in the shape of a car-wheel, having a tread,j, and flange j.

It may be pivoted to stud '5, either by being riveted over a washer, f, as shown in the drawings, or may be fastened by a nut or pin or other suitable means. The relation which roller J holds to central guide-rail, E, is best shown in Fig. 5.

In some cases it may be found desirable to ICO use a permanent shoe, J which is formed in transverse section, similar to roller J. .iThis shoe, with a portion of rods I, is shown in perspective inF-ig. 6.

To the shaft H is also attached thc handlever K, terminating in a suitable handle, k. In some cases it may be desirable to curve lever K down near the floor of the car and substitute the handle it by a pedal, so that the operator may use his foot instead of hishand; or the lever K and handle it may be leftas shown in the drawings, andan arm placed on K, at'a right angle with it, ata point marked it", ending with a suitable pedal to receive the foot of the operator, as above mentioned; In thisway a choice of these two methods may be had by the driver whereby to operate the switching apparatus.

A spring, L, is shown having one end pen manently attached to anyfixed point of the car, and the other acting on any point of the drop or hand levers, at such a point that itin ay act'to elevate roller J at all times when left free 1 to act. In some instances a counterweight may be used instead of aspring,whieh actsto elevate the roller in the same manner and for the same purpose as above mentioned.

In operation my invention is as follows: When it is desired by the operator to keep on the straight track D no action on his part is, necessary, as the tendency of the car is to move forwardin a straight line, and will therefore pass over the two diverging tracks, which arepractically open switches. When it is desired to run the car on traclt D the operator pulls lever K toward him, depressing roller J, which comes in contact with the road-bed, or the plate 0 at a point seen by the dotted lines E". The operator continues to hold roller J in this position until it has entered the guiderail E, when he may release his hold, the flange j on the roller and flange e on the guide-rail preventing disengagement of the two until the wheels of the car have entered on the diverg ing track. When this has taken place the duties of roller J and rail E are at an end, as the front wheels of the car having by this time got well on the diverging track, the rear wheels will naturally follow the lead of the front ones, and the car continues on its way. As soon as roller J has become disengaged from the guiderail the spring L elevates drop-lever I and move his car on track 'D, he will depress roller J so it will drop on or before it arrives at guide rail F, when the car will move out on track D, in the manner above set forth.

lathe system herein described it will be ob served that roller Jis placed in the centerot' the car longitudinallyand the guide-rails are placed to one side or the other, according to a the direction it is desired to give the car. In

this way anyoar fitted with the drop-lever and roller (and the road is arranged as herein de scribed) can take one or the other diverging" tracks, at the will of the driver.

The dotted lines A in Fig.1 indicate the vertical movement of the car-bed when loaded or is jolted while in motion. This makes ap parent the advantages of pivoting the droplever well forward, as shown, so that any ver- 1 tical movement of the car while the roller is depressed is compensated for'by the fulcrum of-the leverG G. i

I am aware that it is not new to provide acar with amovable-bar or bars carrying a conical disk and operated by a shifting-lever and 1 spring, nor toprovide a track with a fixed guide-rail having an overhanging flange and adapted ,to engage with a horizontal pulley or 1 disk when the latter is lowered into proper position, and therebyto guide or switch the cars from one track to another.

Having thus described my invention, what I Patent, is-- 1. The combination of lever K, shaft H,journaled in bearin gs secured to the car, spring L, converging bars I I, the stud 'i, attached to said bars at theirj unction, washerj and roller J, which is held to said stud by said washer, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination oflever K, shaft H,journaled in bearings secured to the car, spring L, converging bars I I, stud i, and roller J with a fixed guide-rail adapted to engage said roller, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

THOS. B. ESTEP.

Witnesses:

H. M. STEPHENSON, N. ROBINSON.

5 claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters 

